The present invention relates to the field of storing a bicycle or other two-wheeled vehicle and, more particularly, to conveniently and securely storing such vehicles in a manner that permits their easy positioning for storage and easy removal for use while also providing a deterrence to theft of the bicycle or other two-wheeled vehicle.
The bicycle remains an extraordinary useful and important device around the world despite its relative mechanical simplicity. Notwithstanding the undeniable dominance of the automobile as a mode of transportation on American highways, the bicycle continues to provide transportation, entertainment, and exercise for millions of Americans. In many other countries, the bicycle continues to be the primary source of affordable transportation, and in a world growing ever more concerned about the detrimental effect of the automobile on the environment, the bicycle along with public transportation is seen as a socially valuable alternative to the automobile. Moreover, the bicycle is a valuable exercise tool for increasingly health conscious American adults. And, of course, for the foreseeable future, the bicycle will remain a ubiquitous feature of childhood for millions of America""s youth.
One persistent problem regarding bicycles, however, concerns their temporary storage. If one desires to use a bicycle frequently, then the bicycle cannot be packed away conveniently in permanent storage, and yet, it can be quite inconvenient simply to prop the bicycle against a wall in cramped garage or in a limited-space apartment or office. In addition to posing temporary storage problems, bicycles also continue to be easy targets for theft. According to national crime statistics, an estimated 5.6 million bicycles are stolen every year (source: NBC Dateline, Sep. 30, 1997). Indeed, the resale market for stolen bicycles is a billion dollar-a-year industry, according to these same statistics. The same risk pertains to many useful devices found in the garage of the average American home, including other lightweight vehicles, such as mopeds and scooters. Such devices, 30 like the bicycle, are valuable because they are relatively compact and mobile, but this is also what makes such devices so vulnerable to a would-be thief going past an open door to a garage where these devices are invariably stored.
Over the years, a number of bicycle storing devices have been proposed in an attempt to provide convenient storage and theft deterrence for a bicycle. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,828,936, issued to Hoenig and titled Bicycle Hanger, describes a vertical, wall-mountable device for holding a two-wheeled bicycle in a vertical position with one bicycle tire held on a narrow hook at the top of the device and the second tire resting within a near-floor level loop along with a third loop on the device to hold a lock and chain. U.S. Pat. No. 5,887,461, issued to Heffley and titled Bicycle Locking Device, describes a device mounted to a wall or other surface and having at its base a support arm attached to a locking arm, both of which can pivot upwardly or remain locked in place in a horizontal position. At the end of the locking arm, a xe2x80x9cjaw-likexe2x80x9d fastener capable of holding a bicycle crossbar is attached.
The Hoenig device requires a plurality of spaced-apart connections in order to hold an extended curved section flatly against a wall surface along with a back tire loop necessary to provide xe2x80x9cvertical stabilityxe2x80x9d to a mounted bicycle hung by its first wheel on a narrow hook; the loop holds the back tire of the bicycle to prevent movement that would cause the front tire to disengage from the narrow hook.
Considerable effort is required for positioning a bicycle so as to mount it for storage using a narrow Hoenig-style hook. In order to position the bicycle tire within the hook, one has to thread the tire over the hook and lift the bicycle frame up high enough so that the portion of the tire rim that is to be positioned within the hook is well above the hook. Having threaded the tire over the hook and lifted up the frame so that the portion of the tire rim that is to be placed within is held above the hook, one must then carefully align the tire so that, as it is lowered, the tire rim comes down exactly within the cradle of the hook. This sequence of movements is cumbersome and time consuming, especially for those of smaller stature such as young children. The process can be quite frustrating: if the tire is not aligned exactly, the tire will miss the hook when the bicycle frame is lowered. If so, the least of one""s problems is that the sequence will have to be repeated. At worst, if one is not careful, and if the tire is not caught upon the hook as the bicycle is lowered, the tire and frame can slip out of one""s grasp and fall to the ground. This is not only frustrating but could be injurious to any one attempting to place the bicycle for storage or anyone who happens to be nearby. The problem is especially worrisome whenever young bicycle riders or other children are involved.
Heffley also requires one wishing to store a bicycle to lift the entire bicycle vertically upward, because the bicycle must be mounted for storage by placing the crossbar of the bicycle into the vise-like grip positioned at the end of the locking arm extending from a base. But whereas Hoenig provides only a wall mountable device, the base of the Heffley device could be attached, say, to the ceiling of a structure as well as a wall. Like the Hoenig device, however, the Heffley device also requires a plurality of connections to secure the device to the structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,702,007, issued to Fritz et al., and titled Rack Especially Adapted For Use With Bicycles, describes an L-shaped rack mounted on a wall and having a centered arcuate well within which a bicycle tire can be supported. U.S. Pat. No. 5,292,009, issued to Smith and simply titled Bicycle Rack, also describes a rackxe2x80x94one which can be mounted to a wall or ceiling surface and which provides a right-angled channel to which a bicycle tire can be attached using separate clips, straps, or pins. U.S. Pat. No. 5,553,715 issued to Brotz and titled Bicycle Stand describes a stand embedded in the ground and having a vise-like gripper for holding the diagonal bar of a bicycle frame.
Like other conventional devices, though, these too provide little in the way of easy mounting of the bicycle to be stored. They are also difficult and cumbersome to install. Both the Smith-style mounting and pinning, as well as the bicycle holding and locking of Fritz et al. can be awkward and difficult, as well as time consuming. Both kinds of devices impose cumbersome constraints, in that each type requires one to hold a bicycle in place while fastening a lock or 20 other fastening member to hold the bicycle from slipping out of position. Also, like a Heffley-type device, Brotz-type device utilizes vise-like grippers that, although, within easy reach, require positioning the crossbar of a bicycle within the saddle of the gripper. With both devices, the gripper cannot be threaded through the spokes of a bicycle to provide other storing positions, such as suspending the stored bicycle on one wheel; the Brotz-type device does not have enough lengthwise extension along the bottom clamp to hold a conventionally sized bicycle rim, whereas the Heffley-type device requires too much lateral extension to thread through the spokes of a conventional bicycle tire.
Additional problems with such conventional devices arise with respect to making, installing, and maintaining the devices. Conventional devices generally involve complex connections of multiple pieces. This increases the complexity and hence the cost of manufacturing such devices. It also adds to the burden of maintaining the devices because there are more pieces that can wear out and require replacement. Installation is also a problem with most of these conventional devices. All require the mounting of a frame to a surface or the encasement of a base in the ground. Multiple drilled holes in a support surface and screws for attaching the devices to the surface are required. This not only adds to the costs of manufacturing but also increases the time and effort necessary for one to install and use such devices. Moreover, conventional devices, such as those described above, are typically limited to storing one or, at most, two bicycles. Thus, as the number of bicycles to be stored increases, one is generally required to increase the number of devices used.
With the foregoing in mind, the present invention advantageously provides an apparatus and related methods for storing one or more bicycles by easily mounting a bicycle tire connected to a bicycle frame upon a suspension mount to thereby suspend the bicycle completely off a floor surface for storage. As described in detail below, a bicycle can be suspended for storage without having to laboriously and awkwardly align the bicycle over a hook or within a vise. Instead, the present invention provides for simply lifting a bicycle tire connected to a bicycle frame up to and over the end of a bicycle support extension extending from the mount, a major advantage being elimination of the labor and frustration associated with having to lift up the bicycle, align it within a vise-like grip or over a hook into which it is then lowered.
Specifically, the present invention provides a bicycle mount that can be suspended from the ceiling or a wall of a preexisting indoor or outdoor structure. A first end of the mount preferably forms a spirally threaded, screw-like elongate portion having either a pointed or flattened screw tip for attaching the mount to the structure. Extending outwardly from the mount at an opposing second end is an extension, defining a bicycle support extension, upon which a bicycle tire connected to a bicycle frame can be suspended. Preferably, the distal end of the extension is sufficiently open to easily thread through the spokes of a bicycle tire. The extension extends outwardly a sufficient distance to provide sufficient surface area exposure. The upper surface of the distal portion of the extension is preferably concave; beyond a specific point, moreover, preferably has a curvature everywhere increasing as one moves farther out along the distal end of the extension.
The extension therefore provides sufficient surface area with which to make contact with the rim without having to carefully align the tire before contacting the rim with the extension. The curvature of the surface along the distal portion of the extension is sufficient to prevent the tire from slipping off the extension regardless of the exact point at which the rim of the bicycle tire contacts with the extension. With the curvature increasing beyond a point along the distal end, the bicycle tire will be suspended securely regardless of where the rim first contacts the extension surface: the only sliding of the bicycle tire along the extension that can occur is if the tire slides into a more stable position closer to the closed proximal end of the extension.
Thus, to suspend a bicycle from the mount, one merely has to lift a tire of the bicycle up to and over the tip of the extension. The explicit curvature of the surface of the distal portion of the extension allows one to simply contact the rim of the tire with the upper surface of the extension. The curvature is sufficient to hold the tire on the extension regardless of where the rim of the tire of the bicycle being mounted on the suspension mount first contacts the extension.
More specifically, the bicycle support extension provides, then, just enough curvature to hold in place a bicycle tire while making it easy to thread the spokes of the tire through and the rim of the tire over the distal end of the extension. Thus, there is the advantage of easy mounting of a bicycle for storage in a room, a garage or beneath an overhang of some other structure.
As an elongated unitary piece, preferably, the suspension mount also can have a rigid first end formed to provide a spirally threaded, screw-like extension for easily connecting the elongate suspension mount to virtually any support structure, even one having only limited surface area exposure for connecting with the suspension mount.
The claimed invention provides other advantages as well. The elongate suspension formed as a unitary piece and having a spirally threaded rigid extension, for example, provides unique advantages in terms of theft deterrence when coupled with the addition of a lock-loop positioned on the elongate mount to receive a locking device. If, for example, a chain is threaded through the lock-loop and around the bicycle frame having a connected tire mounted on the arcuate end, the elongate suspension mount provides excellent theft deterrence: any attempt to disengage by unscrewing the spirally threaded proximal end from the support structure will inevitably cause the chain to wrap more tightly around the mount and bicycle frame. In this event, the only alternative for one attempting to steal a bicycle secured to the elongate suspension mount is to attempt to rotate the bicycle simultaneously while turning the spirally threaded proximal endxe2x80x94an awkward task that is not easily accomplished and that is unlikely to be successful in quick fashion for a would-be thief seeking to avoid detection.
As alluded to above, there also are advantages in terms of manufacturing and maintenance costs provided by the present invention as well. Specifically, as already noted, the surface-connecting spirally threaded fastener and extension defining a bicycle support extension with the above-described characteristics for easy mounting can be implemented as a relatively simple, yet eloquent and efficient unitary elongate suspension mount. Manufacturing is accordingly simple and hence less costly as compared to conventional devices that require multiple, intricately connected components. The corresponding lack of interrelated pieces with a simple yet eloquent elongate suspension mount eliminates the wear and tear on individual components and the concomitant need for multiple and frequent replacements.
A further advantage of such a design is that it is easy to install a unitary suspension mount. Having a spirally threaded screw-like proximal end, the elongate suspension mount can be installed about as easily as hanging a picture frame. The elongate suspension can be screwed into a surface portion of a ceiling by hand or with the assistance of a wrench. No more than the simple act of turning the threaded screw is required for positioning the mount to receive and support a bicycle tire and bicycle frame connected to the tire.
Yet a further advantage of the present invention is that it permits multiple bicycles or other lightweight two-wheeled vehicles to be suspended for storage using a single elongate suspension mount. The capability to store multiple bicycles requires only an equal number of arcuate ends extending from a distal end connected to a corresponding support structure. The same spiral threading on the proximal end accommodates the easy installation described above. The same theft deterrence as provided for a single bicycle is provided for each of multiple bicycles using the same lock-loop attached to the elongate mount as described above. The only increase in associated manufacturing costs for such a multiple-support mount are those associated with providing additional bicycle support extensions extending from the suspension mount. Otherwise, the same advantages described for a single mount pertain to one capable of storing multiple bicycles by suspending the tire and connected frame of each on a separate bicycle support extension.
The present invention further provides a method for securely storing a bicycle by suspending a bicycle tire and a bicycle frame connected to the tire. More specifically, the method includes fastening a suspension mount to a supporting structure, sliding the bicycle tire over an extension defining a bicycle support extension designed to thread readily through the spokes of a bicycle tire connected to a bicycle frame, and securing the bicycle frame to the mount by placing a locking device through a lock-loop positioned on the suspension mount.
In addition, the method further can include forming the bicycle support extension so as to have a curvature that is greater at any point nearer to the distal end of the support extension relative to the curvature at any other point nearer to the proximal end of the support extension such that the curvature is increasing at each point as one moves along the support extension away from the proximal end and toward the distal end. Providing this precise curvature provides a method of more easily storing the bicycle relative to conventional storing methods. Specifically, the curvature permits easier storing, since a bicycle tire connected to a bicycle frame need only be lifted up to the mount and the rim of the tire contacted with a portion of the curved surface of a suspension mount extension defining a bicycle support extension to thereby securely position the tire thereon and securely suspend the bicycle frame connected to the tire.